An HTC HD Mini with AT&T 3G bands (850 and 1900 Mhz) has passed through the FCC. At present it is not clear where the device is heading to, as rumours of an AT&T release of the device have not really circulated, although a replacement for the HTC Pure/ Touch Diamond 2 on A&T may be possible.
Another likely destination is one of the Canadian networks, which do often carry HTC devices.
Do any of our readers know more? Let us know below.
Via Engadget.com
[See post to watch Flash video]
ZDNet has spoken to Charlie Kindell, Windows Phone 7 program manager at Microsoft, about Windows Phone 7, Windows Mobile and the enterprise market.
He mentions that Windows Phone 7 was designed for use in personal and professional life, but was unfortunately not able to provide much evidence for this. He however did say that Microsoft intended to support Windows Mobile 6.5 as long as the market wanted it.
He confirmed that at ship date companies will not be able to release vertical apps only to their handsets, which seems a pretty large omission, and again makes the OS unsuitable compared to Windows Mobile, where companies can even push applications wirelessly to managed handsets. We have heard however that this, like many other features, will be added in the future.
Keep an eye on ZDNet for part 2 of their interview, coming soon.
The KIN Loop, which integrates social network feeds
A recent study by NetProspex of 50 top companies found Microsoft to be the leader in their use and utilization of social networks.
The survey, the first by sales and marketing contact database NetProspex, ranked the top 50 companies based on their social network membership, frequency of social media posts on Twitter and other blogs, and the friendliness or connectedness of a sample of employees for each organisation.
The survey found that almost half of companies analysed have employees throughout their organisation on social networking sites, with Microsoft leading the way.
Following Microsoft was Amazon and eBay, and next Google and Walt Disney. Apple, who does not even have a twitter account, was placed tenth.
In many ways “getting” social networking more than other companies, Microsoft was an early investor in Facebook, the first to make a search deal with Twitter to access their real time data (a move soon followed by Google) and of course has made social networking central to many of their platforms, including bringing the Xbox Live service to their Windows Phone 7 devices, and putting Twitter, Facebook and MySpace as the central home page of the KIN phones.
Read more about the study at Reuters here.
Do our readers appreciate this focus on social networking, or does it not really suite people who use their phones for business rather than entertainment? Let us know your thoughts below.
Microsoft has been pretty reticent about the full specs of their new KIN smart dumbphones.
Fortunately Microsoft Germany has managed to set us straight, revealing nearly all the specs of the two devices on their Facebook page.
The KIN One is the portrait QWERTY-slider, with a 2.6" TFT, QVGA (320 x 240) capacitive touchscreen and sports a 5 megapixel autofocus CMOS camera with anti-shake and a dual LED flash. It comes with 256 MB DDR RAM and 4 GB Flash memory. It is also provided in either CDMA or HSDPA versions and has Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0 and WiFi b/g, a GPS receiver, an FM radio and an accelerometer. The battery is 1240 mAh and it has a 3.5mm headphone jack. The KIN One is sqare shaped, at 67mm per side. The KIN One has mono-speakers.
The KIN Two is a landscape QWERTY-slider, with a 3.4" TFT, HVGA (480 x 320) capacitive touchscreen, an 8 megapixel autofocus HDR CMOS camera from Omnivision which features anti-shake/image stabilization and a Lumi LED flash and comes with 256 MB DDR RAM and 8 GB Flash memory. Coming in either CDMA or HSDA, the device includes bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0 and WiFi b/g, a GPS receiver, an FM radio and an accelerometer. The battery is 1390 mAh and also has a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The KIN Two has stereo speakers.
Putting aside the dumb phone aspect, which device do our readers prefer? Let us know below.
Via the unwired.net
Zunited.net reports on director James Gunn’s mention of a new Zune at a Microsoft invite-only event.
James writes:
A couple weeks ago I was invited to “The Microsoft Experience,” a forum for showing gadget-loving folks in the media like myself all the new products that Microsoft has and is working on.
Some of the other stuff – the new Zune, the upcoming Microsoft phone, also looked fantastic. But, admittedly, I’m going to have a hard time getting out of my 20,000 songs on iTunes to actually switch over to Zune – and I feel stuck to the iPhone because of the apps. I also saw a new Microsoft tablet which is a lot like the iPad. However, like the iPad, I have a real fear that these glossy screen reading devices are going to ruin the steps the Kindle (which I adore) and other ereaders took to have a more print-like reading experience.
James of course writes a lot more about his experience with Project Natal, but his mention of a new Zune is of interest, especially given the lack of compatibility of the current ZuneHD with Windows phone 7, and some other rumours of an upcoming, higher resolution ZuneHD 2
Read more at Zunited.net and jamesgunn.com here.
Press Release: CNN continues to extend its commitment to providing innovative and unique user experiences by partnering with LiveABC Interactive Corporation to offer its first English learning mobile application for Windows phone users. Combining language learning with mobile technology, the new application for Chinese speakers leverages CNN’s award-winning content for effective and efficient self-learning to users demanding accessibility and convenience.
LiveABC Interactive Corporation is a leader in producing innovative products designed for foreign language acquisition. These products include multimedia and Internet components designed around magazines and books. LiveABC has produced six award-winning, interactive magazines-CNN, All Plus, biz, Live, ABC and Live Interactive Chinese-as well as over 100 book titles that cover a complete array of levels and topics.
"The launch of this learning application underlines our commitment to provide consumers in the Asia Pacific region with an innovative user experience," said Ringo Chan, Senior Vice President of Syndication, Wireless and Interactive Content Solutions & Distribution, Turner Asia Pacific. "CNN has been a leading English learning provider tailoring its award-winning content into different mediums, such as print in magazines and books and audio on CDROMs. We’re now extending this onto a mobile platform, allowing users to enjoy the fun of English learning anywhere and anytime. Launching the application on Windows phone is our starting point. Our development team is also working to extend the service on other popular mobile platforms."
"We are excited about the partnership with CNN International," said Jerry Cheng, President, LiveABC Interactive Corporation. "Our company has been at the forefront in developing a vast array of language-learning solutions with professional editorial and R&D teams. There really is no better way to learn English than with quality news content from the world’s most trusted news organisation."
The CNN English learning application features include:
• CNN news video: Users watch their video of choice from a portfolio of CNN interviews with iconic personalities in the fields of arts, politics, sports and business, including Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew; investment guru Warren Buffett and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
• Bilingual interchangeable subtitles: Both Chinese and English subtitles are available and can be added or removed whilst watching the video. Users can also choose their desired font size.
• Quizzes: A true or false quiz after each chapter is designed to help users improve their understanding of the language.
• Personalization: Users can choose to watch the whole video or repeat a specific sentence, maximizing the learning experience.
• Dictionary: Detailed definition and word meanings of new vocabulary with translation.
The application is only supported on Windows Mobile 5.0 version or above and is available for US$0.99 from Windows Marketplace at marketplace.windowsphone.com under the reference category in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Panoramic Software Inc. has released an update to its popular Windows Phone Twitter client, Panoramic moTweets.
The software features:
This new version, 1.7 adds, among other features, the ability to view picture thumbnails right from your timeline.
Panoramic Software has also created a new facebook page and is currently offering a chance to win one of ten free copies of moTweets by simply becoming a fan:
Read more about the app at Panoramic Software here.
With Google going for Admob and Apple owning Quattro, it seems if you make a mobile OS you need an ad network to go with it.
Business Insider is reporting that Microsoft is making overtures at Millennial Media, one of the larger mobile ad networks, and had been negotiating the likely $500 million deal for the last 2 months.
According the Business Insider’s sources the two companies have agreed on basic terms but have not finalized the deal yet.
Acquiring Millennial could quickly give Microsoft broader reach across more publishers and in mobile apps on the iPhone, Android, and other platforms, including of course Windows Phone 7. According to Nielsen, Millennial reaches more than 80% of U.S. mobile Web users, while Microsoft’s in-house solution only reaches around 50%.
It has recently been suggested that Google uses ad revenue generated by devices to pay OEMs, in essence paying OEMs to use their free software. Microsoft may need a similar strategy to make their handsets cost-neutral or generate additional profit for their own OEMs.
Read more about the possible deal at Business Insider here.
Microsoft has invested in N-trig, a multi-touch technology solution provider from Israel.
N-trig was founded in 1999 and develops and produces multi-touch systems that works with up to 4 fingers while also allowing the use of a pen at the same time.
Rick Seger, president of N-Trig, said he believed the combination of multi-touch and pen technology would be important, particularly in slate computers. Seger’s company’s DuoSense feature pen and multi-touch capabilities made it better suited for both business applications (including the normal multi-touch features like zooming, as well as signing documents) and education, where he said it was better for tasks such as note-taking.
In the past two years, N-trig has signed agreements with HP, Dell, Toshiba, and Lenovo. In addition, its technology is part of Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 7.
Microsoft is also believed to be developing a tablet, the Microsoft Courier, which relies for a large part of its interface on the interaction between the use of pen and finger inputs.
Read more at Globes.co.il here.
aura_ Microsoft Live Engagement from Jason Lin on Vimeo.
One of the more minor disappointments of Windows Phone 7 is that the avatar in the Xbox hub is static and not animated in any way.
“Aura”, a Microsoft-sponsored project at the Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center is aiming to fix it, by adding a bit more movement to your twitter and facebook status updates, using the personalized 3D avatars most Xbox Live users create when they sign on to the service.
The aim of the project was to create an application that enables rich expressions of user interaction between people while using the Windows Phone 7 Series devices and Xbox consoles.
As can be seen from the video above the application ad some fun to the pretty staid and colourless Windows Phone 7 user interface
A prototype of the project is said to be demoed at E3 in June.
Read more at istartedsomething.com here.
Via 1800pocketpc.com
Digitimes, with their close industry contacts, has one again leaked some tasty info.
On this occasion they claim, pretty confidently, that Compal will be producing two tablet PC’s for Toshiba, one a standard Android one and the other powered by Windows CE 7.
Toshiba has announced last week that they will be producing the same tablets, but at the time they were labelled as simply an Android and Windows one, making it appear that the Microsoft version actually ran Windows 7 on an Intel chip, like the HP Slate.
According to Digitimes however the tablets will run on Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor, and the Windows CE 7 version will feature dual screens.
Apparently Compal Electronics will ship the tablets at the end of 2010 or early 2011, a time scale which slots in pretty well with that recent New York Times Microsoft Courier leak.
Toshiba has traditionally had a close relationship with Microsoft, being one of the first to make a Plays for Sure PMP and then being the first OEM of the Zune device before Microsoft took manufacturing internal.
Could this rumour be all about the Courier? Let us know your thoughts below.
Tweakers.net has managed to lay their hands on a copy of the Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Architecture Guide and also a tutorial on compiling the OS, and have shared some more information about the upcoming OS.
They note that the device will be intimately linked with your Windows Live ID, and that on first bootup users will be asked to enter this and accept the EULA for the service. Hardware will also be tied to a Genuine Windows Phone certificate, else the ID will not be accepted.
A Windows Live ID will be needed for contact synchronization, to access marketplace and to access Microsoft’s services. In practice this means the device will be more or less useless without, but also that potentially each phone will be directly tied to one person, with may alarm privacy advocates somewhat.
More after the break.
The articles reveal more information which shows in some ways the specifications are quite forward-looking, for example each process will have access to up to 1 GB of RAM, but in others ways take little account of the future, for example lack of support for Bluetooth 3.
Microsoft will be keenly involved with devices, with even OEM ROM updates coming through Microsoft, with users notified to either download the updates over the air or tether their smartphones. Unfortunately the OEM is still responsible for supplying the Direct3D drivers, which may alarm some readers.
Microsoft will also control the user experience, with OEMs having very limited ability to customize the device, beyond installing their own live tiles and changing the operator logo. Devices may still come with OEM applications pre-installed, but to a maximum of 6, taking a total of 60 MB, and no trialware.
OEMs will also be able to change the default search engine in Internet Explorer, but for the rest of the device Bing will remain the default.
Windows Phone 7 devices will use Microsoft Unified Storage System for user files, meaning applications will not be able to distinguish between files on internal storage and main memory. This also means if the user removes the memory card the smartphone will only be able to make emergency phone calls, but nothing else.
For much more in the internals of Windows Phone 7 see Tweakers.net here.
Thanks Wajma for the tip.
Ruttensoft has let FuzeMobility know that we do not need to worry too much about an official client for DropBox, as they have a version in the works themselves which should help satisfy those who would like to move their lives into the cloud.
The client, which will allow automatic synchronization with your various computers and Dropbox servers will be available as a free Beta version very soon. The final version will cost $6.99. Initially only hi-res screens supported in the first beta (VGA and WVGA), with low-res support coming in the second round of tests.
Read more at Ruttensoft here.
There are many Bible related apps available on windows mobile but this 1001 Bible Verses app from XiMAD has be one of the best looking bible app that I have come across till date. Check out the full review to see the app in action.
Read the rest of the review at BestWindowsMobileApps.com here.
The New York Times has reported on internal Microsoft sources which unfortunately dash any hopes of seeing the very interesting Microsoft Courier any time this year.
According to the Microsoft employees who has seen the device, Microsoft engineers have concerns about the battery power needed to keep the two screens going. Courier is about as big as an ordinary paperback and folds out to reveal two screens. Users would be able to take notes on the device with a pen, and easily drag and share content between the screens.
And internally the company is struggling to identify the right market. Though no firm decision has been made to sell the product, at first the idea was to market the Courier for designers and architects, but lately the company is thinking of a broader market of consumers and so would include e-books, magazines and other media content on the device.
Microsoft engineers have talked about getting the Courier out by early 2011.
Read more at the NYTimes.com here.
South African Managing Director for HTC has told PhoneReport.info that they are planning to introduce handsets with full 1080p video recording and 5.1 surround sound in the second half of 2011.
Quinton Leigh, Managing Director for HTC explained while Full HD recording will only be available some time next year, 5.1 surround sound playback via a Yamaha chip solution should be available before this.
Further upgrades planned for handsets include HSDPA+ support, which allows 14.4mbps downloads, and should be available by the third quarter of this year.
Read more at PhoneReport.info here.
Via Unwiredview.com and allaboutphones.nl
Techticker.co.uk have published this summary of the recently held UK TechDays seminar held by Microsoft to introduce developers to their new mobile OS.
While the 9 minute video by and large cover information we have heard earlier, one issue of note is that apparently each application will only have access to 2 GB of storage on the device, irrespective of the actual size of storage.
While this may be expansive, it is starting to push against the limits of map storage for GPS navigation for example, and with the lack of a shared storage area for all applications, limits the amount of storage available to an application that does not want to use the Windows Phone 7 native libraries, such as an alternative music and video player.
The video also reveals that Microsoft is targeting over 30’s with Windows Phone 7, as a posed to their 20’s and under focus with KIN.
See the video above for more.
T-Mobile continues to have problems satisfying demand for the HTC HD2, with the device once again going out of stock on the US carrier.
We know this problem is pretty wide spread, with one of our editors recently having to turn to e-bay to get his.
Are any of our readers still hunting for this device? Let us know below.
Thanks Venkat Sunkara for the tip.
Windows Phone Hacker is developing this cool application, demoed above, which allows one to receive e-mail and text message notifications in the cool, unobtrusive way Windows Phone 7 does it, with a drop-down banner.
The cab to enable this can be downloaded from Windowsphonehacker here.
PhoneArena has looked at the HTC HD Mini and have published their usual thorough review.
They score the device 8.5/10 and conclude:
So is there a reason why you should get a Windows Mobile 6.5.3 handset with Windows Phone 7 coming at the end of the year? Since none of the apps for the current-gen Windows Mobile phones will not work on Windows Phone 7, we believe users should have no hesitations when getting a WM device now. Looking at the existing crop of smartphones running this platform, we have to say the HTC HD mini is a perfect choice, due to its ease of use and reliability. Right now, the HD2 is the undisputed king of Windows phones, but if you’re not really into such great sizes, the HD mini is just for you.
Read their full review here.